key: cord-0877699-ix0hwqkj
authors: Lu, Guoqing; Moriyama, Etsuko N.
title: 2019nCoVR – A comprehensive genomic resource for SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance and COVID-19 control
date: 2021-08-12
journal: Innovation (N Y)
DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100150
sha: 1a0b1a9ebf909e790798b935e505526561e853ad
doc_id: 877699
cord_uid: ix0hwqkj

nan

1 variation and conduct genomic analysis and annotation. 3 The 2019nCoVR provides valuable information that helps understand molecular evolution and epidemiological dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, which can help inform decisions about controlling the spread of the virus. In this commentary, we highlight important features of the 2019nCoVR related to SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and comment on areas that will benefit future improvement of the resource.

Genomic sequence data are of paramount importance in epidemiology and play a vital role in understanding the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and developing COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. The release of the first genome of SARS-CoV-2 (10 January 2020) has enabled the development of vaccines and molecular testing tools. Genomic surveillance has been providing insights into regional and global establishment and lineage dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic. 4 In addition to accepting direct submission, the 2019nCoVR incorporates sequence information from other resources, including GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) and NCBI GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sars-cov-2/). Whereas only a few sequences were available at the end of February 2020, the 2019nCoVR has collected data for more than 2 million complete genome sequences from 167 countries and regions by the end of June 2021, indicating an unprecedented speed in sequencing SARS-CoV-2 genomes. While several other major SARS-CoV-2 genomic resources exist as listed at the NU-COVID, http://bioinfolab.unl.edu/emlab/nucovid/, it should be noted that the 2019nCoVR has developed a set of standards for genomic data integrity and quality control. 3 The 2019nCoVR offers multiple ways to explore and visualize SARS-CoV-2 genome variations. 

The authors declare no competing interests.

J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f

An online coronavirus analysis platform from the National Genomics Data Center

The 2019 novel coronavirus resource

The global landscape of SARS-CoV-2 genomes, variants, and haplotypes in 2019nCoVR

Establishment and lineage dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the UK

A dynamic nomenclature proposal for SARS-CoV-2 lineages to assist genomic epidemiology